Much like our successful first CLE offering that took place in New York City in September, the course will provide an in-depth examination of the state of the law on freedom of speech on today’s college campus and will give attorneys a greater understanding of the ways litigation can be utilized to protect the rights of university students and faculty and how they can become involved in such efforts. Our course has been approved by the Pennsylvania Continuing Legal Education Board for two hours of substantive law, practice, and procedure CLE credit. The course is appropriate for both newly admitted and experienced attorneys. Registration costs $40, and financial aid is available. As with our first CLE, members of FIRE’s Legal Network may attend free of charge.

For more information about the course and to register online see our CLE page or click below.

As our CLE page states:

The course will discuss the decades of precedent from the Supreme Court and lower courts upholding First Amendment protections on college campuses, emphasizing the primacy of free speech and academic freedom in higher education, and designating the university campus as peculiarly the "marketplace of ideas," where unfettered expression creates informed citizens and ultimately contributes to the health of our democracy.

The course will examine the fact that in spite of this judicial clarity, colleges and universities continue to maintain speech codes-university regulations prohibiting expression that would be constitutionally protected off-campus-denying students and faculty the right to free speech. Courts have without exception struck down these regulations as unconstitutional, yet colleges and universities across the country continue to maintain these unlawful and illiberal prohibitions on speech.

The CLE, taught by FIRE Director of Legal and Public Advocacy Will Creeley and Director of Speech Code Research Samantha Harris, promises to be an exciting one. We hope to see you there!